Nier: Revengeance - ch 2.8

Big Human On Earth (8)

In the Resistance Camp, ever since they confirmed the existence of a Human on Earth the Androids have worked continuously on their duties. With the numbers on site, Anemone issued the orders for mandatory rest and maintenance cycles, with some ancient models entering sleep mode for the first time in a thousand years.

Away from the bustling activity, Jack goes over reports and his revised draft for the future of the war.

“Do you expect the couriers will deliver their messages successfully?” The Doctor's ghostly voice echoes in Jakc's ears.

Jack drums his fingers on the desk to calm himself, “If I had to broadcast my orders the Machines would have intercepted it with their backdoors. Encryption is useless when every system is compromised, and until we can secure the lines of communications we will need to rely on older methods. Thankfully, we can use this opportunity to observe the enemy and smoke out rats.”

Leaning back on his chair, Jack brings up the Doctor image in his HUD. “Are you up to the task, Doctor?”

The ancient man hums, “Networking isn’t my specialty, but we don’t need something on the level of those twin boys to deal with rats.”

At the mention of the two boys, a wave of nostalgia hits Jack, “Wonderful. Hopefully, with the new influx of Androids, we can ramp up our military-industrial complex to deal with the enemy.”

The projected Doctor nods, “Very well, I will return to Mother Base for now. If you need something, I will be listening.” Once he leaves, Jack calls 2B and 9S into his office.

The pair enters the same room they left a few hours ago, except the room has several stacks of paper reports, diagrams, and graphs on his desk. There is an old sleek computer unit on the table, and a printer working tirelessly to drown out the noise from outside with its work.

The pair stands at attention in front of the desk to the waiting General, who acknowledges them with a nod and smile, "Welcome back, 2B, 9S. Let's hear your report."

The beautiful female YorHa begins, “After we found the rogue unit A2, she proved unwilling to return to base. She believes that, as part of the Council of Humanity, you were responsible for the demise of her former unit, sir."

"Ah, sir?" 9S interjects, breaking protocol, "What did A2 mean when she accused you of killing their units?"

Leaning back on his chair, Jack closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, pondering how to explain the situation to the curious unit. 'The Machines probably aren't listening to everyone 24/7, but I bet they are listening for certain keywords. I have to be careful.'

Standing up, Jack approaches the two androids, "Please understand that there are various motives to maintain secrecy. Some of them are external, while others are internal. Keeping information hidden isn't a sign of a lack of trust, instead, it is to protect everyone and further the cause. I promise that when things improve, I will declassify this information."

Jack grips the two YorHa units' shoulders, making them shudder at the contact. "For now, I need you to trust my judgment, as I have certain tasks carried in the shadows. There is a reason why I declared a universal Amnesty. We can't afford to have androids fighting against each other," Jack asks the pair, but his eyes are on 9S, "Do you two understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Smiling, the General pats the two androids on their heads, "Good work for you two."

The YorHa units blushed as their base programming reacted to the contact and praise. The pair of androids leaned on Jack's touch, visibly showing their disappointment when he took his hands off.

Amused by the interaction, Jack continued. “I have a plan for the rogue YorHa situation, but first I need time to scout the Forest Kingdom area. For now, rest while I finish organizing the camp. Glory to Mankind!”

"Glory to Mankind!" The pair leaves the office, but not before stealing a final glance at The Human. Outside, 9S keeps alternating between touching his head and looking at 2B, pondering about his future.

Later, in the newly built meeting room, Jack meets with the representatives of the different forces who arrived earlier in the day. “Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen. It might be sudden, but I already have a mission for you."

The assembled androids straighten up, and not for the first time, Jack marvels at how human-like they behave. Holding a data shard, the General continues, "You will be issued a copy of this data chip containing the plans for the army reorganization. In my experience, a proper chain of command will help with the war efforts.”

Contrary to his expectations, the androids shift in their seats anxiously, with one of them meekly asking, “Sir, is it alright for us to receive proper military positions?”

Jack forces himself to maintain a level tone, "Please elaborate.”

The android looks around, searching for help, but he finds none. Gulping, he explains, “According to old protocols, with the return of Humans on Earth, androids are not allowed to hold military positions.”

Glad that his bullshit about the Council of Humanity wasn't disputed by the people who created the conspiracy, Jack shamelessly explains his plan, "That was a holdover from before the eradication of the Red-Eyed Army. The Council didn't have the time to reorganize its military when the Aliens invaded, however, they elected an expert to change the war's course."

Jack doesn't need to remind them that he is the expert, "Future humans serving the military will have command of the Android forces attached to them, creating a new type of combat group. This new arrangement doesn't invalidate the traditional chain of command, as the Androids will compose a new military branch. Any questions?"

The androids furiously whisper among themselves over the notion of "future humans," already forgetting about their programming's old directives.

Cleaning his throat, the General gains the attention of the Androids, “For now, the only human allowed on Earth is me. While the future combat groups will be smaller, consider the current situation unique as the entire Army of Humanity is part of my combat group. Understood?”

The voices of the androids drown the meeting room, “Sir, yes, sir!”

Jack dismisses the couriers with a handshake, earning looks of admiration and adoration from them before moving the meeting to its second phase.

Jack explains the situation of the Army of Humanity's manpower, logistics, industrial capacity, and weapon effectiveness, further dividing their needs into eight aspects: resource gathering, production, logistics, energy generation, personal equipment, vehicles, space superiority, and professional training.

Jack further elaborates on the planned priorities for the future. "For now, we will focus our development on five aspects: resource gathering, production, logistics, energy generation, and professional training. The Army of Humanity resources are too low to afford a large-scale offensive against the Machine Lifeforms. The current strategy of using small teams to infiltrate key facilities of the Machine Army employed by YorHa has merit, but the operatives lack training and require a better doctrine."

The General insists on opening a new industrial complex, but first, he needs to secure the future sites, “I have access to new production methods, and they’re almost impossible to hack since they work on a mix of mechanics and magic. This feature will prevent the Machine Army from subverting the core production, in contrast, we will isolate the advanced production facilities from the enemy."

Jack shows a map of the city to other androids, “Our first goal is to reclaim several city blocks next to the base, building by building if necessary. Once each block is secure the newly trained and expanded Engineer corpos will dismantle the buildings into raw materials and start constructing the facilities.”

The androids nod, with a few looking forward to working with new technologies and magic.

Having the reaction he wanted, Jack continues, "To keep our plans safe, we will open a new Intelligence division focused on cyberspace and cybersecurity. They will focus on network attacks and security, and due to their specialized work, they will be considered non-combat personnel while on the field. They will be required to pass basic training, but are not required to engage the enemy physically.”

An android timidly raises his hand. 

Jack turns to the male android, noticing his lab coat, “Yes, what is your question?”

He takes a deep breath before asking, “What about ancient artifacts, sir?”

Jack has to remind himself that "Ancient Artifacts" now include ceramic toilets, car tires, and cheap plastic toys, “We will collect all artifacts, focusing on speed and thoroughness. Once collected,  the non-combatant sector will categorize and restore certain pieces, while sending the rest for recycling.”

Some of the androids recoil in horror, forcing Jack to explain his decision, “I assume only items made of plastic and other durable materials have survived the various wars and passage of time, with an emphasis on middle to the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century artifacts. Most artifacts that survived that era are packaging and other trash, thus they will serve a better purpose in being recycled, but that's a later concern after the artifacts are cataloged."

His words manage to soothe the historian androids, and the meeting resumes. Jack illustrates some of the latter plans but will remain frozen until the earlier priorities are in order. With the meeting concluded Jack, dismisses the androids with a handshake and a hug, easing any tension, lingering discontentment, and doubts within their minds.

Exhaling a deep breath, Jack smiles at his XO with a pat on her shoulder, “Thank you, Anemone, you were a great help today.”

The Androids shuddered in pleasure at the contact and praise, “I live to serve, General.”

“Please," Jack chuckles, "you can drop the formalities while we're alone.”

She looks around, and after confirming they're alone, she approaches Jack with a timid look,  “Understood… Jack." 

Taking the hint, Jack spreads his arms and embraces Anemone, caressing her head. The human feels the android warming at his touch, and they remain like that for a while until Jack breaks the embrace.

Putting Anemone at arm's length, the man's expression turns guilty, “I hope that will be enough for you to forgive me since I have some bad news for you.”

Anemone's eyes widen, “Bad news?”

Nodding, Jack confesses his new plan, “I will leave the base to seek the rogue unit A2.”

Anemone looks at the Human, his words finally registering to her processors.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!" She panics while she grabs him, "Do you have any idea how precious you are to the future of Humanity? To us? To me?”

Despite her frame having enough power to crush wood and warp metal, Jack gently untangles himself from Anemone, “First, I need you to understand this: I am not helpless. I would say I am currently the strongest active fighter in our forces. You probably heard the YorHa units gossip, didn’t you?”

Anemone reluctantly confirms the rumors to him, “They said you rescued their group from a Goliath class Machine Lifeform.”

Slowly, Jack explains, “Some androids require me to meet with them personally to trust in our cause again. Right now we’re lacking everything, and I must take the frontlines occasionally to show everyone the power of humanity. It is part for morale, and part to accomplish missions that would be impossible otherwise.”

Anemone understands the concept, but she has other priorities, “But you might get hurt!”

Once again Jack pats the android's head, making the woman pout at the General, “Being on Earth is already dangerous, but I don’t fight against enemies I can lose. If I take the field, it is to achieve a vital strategic victory or to ease a delicate matter that only a human can resolve. I need you to trust me. Can you trust me to return safe and sound, Anemone?”

The android's struggle is visible to Jack, as she remains silent for several seconds, debating with herself if she should let the madman go.

Eventually, she responds, “I don’t like it, but I will trust your judgment. But if you come back injured, I won’t forgive you!”

Smiling at the worried girl, he kisses her forehead, stunning the android. “Don’t worry, you won’t even notice when I’m gone.”

Post Chapter Notes

Here is the next chapter of this week. Next, I will have food, finish two commission projects, and then finally get back at An Engineer In Night City